Escape Midtown in this hidden topiary garden
Plus: Top news of the week — Cooper, Whatley enter Senate race; CMS to receive $12.5M in federal funding; I-77 S express lane project expected to begin in 2030; UNC proposes $70M in cuts
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Off the Beaten Path: Down the street from Trader Joe’s infamous parking deck, a quiet public garden blends art, nature and its creator’s deep commitment to community
Editor’s note: This occasional series is devoted to discovering the hidden corners and unexpected stories in Charlotte and the surrounding region. Have a suggestion? Contact Doug Miller at coach@millerswimming.com.
by Page Leggett
Just steps from the chaos of the Trader Joe’s parking deck in Midtown lies its antithesis: a hidden and peaceful topiary garden at the intersection of Cherry and Baxter streets.
Here, in a meticulously maintained oasis, trees twist into fantastical shapes, as if Edward Scissorhands himself transformed the small patch of grass into a wonderland. It stopped me in my tracks on a recent Sunday walk.
The garden is the work of Ki-Hyun Chun, a Renaissance man with a doctorate in accounting who’s also an artist, community leader and founder of the Asian Herald newspaper, Asian Herald Library and the Carolinas Asian American Chamber of Commerce. Although he’s in his early 80s, Chun still reports to work five days a week. He and his wife, Sunny, who came to Charlotte in the 1970s from Seoul, South Korea, were both raised with a strict work ethic they take to heart.
Ki-Hyun and Sunny Chun’s topiary garden, filled with bronze statues and sculpted trees, offers a peaceful escape at the corner of Cherry and Baxter streets across from Myers Tabernacle AME Zion Church. (Photos courtesy of Page Leggett)
Exploring the secret garden: The garden comes to life with six bronze statues that the Chuns bought from sculptors all over the country. Five of them depict children. In one, children are engrossed in a book. Another shows an exuberant young girl on a swing with more children behind her, climbing the tree from which she’s swinging.
Chun often sees real children climbing on that one. When he does, he cautions them to be careful. There aren’t any “Keep Off!” or “No Trespassing” signs to mar the serenity of the space; nothing interferes with the pristine beauty.
The vast majority of the garden is open to the public. In fact, the Chuns say neighbors regularly stop by to pick figs off the tree.
But on the other side of the fence behind Chun’s accounting firm and Asian Herald Library, is a private garden Sunny planted for family, friends, employees and invited guests, like me. Sunny sent me home with two Asian cucumbers she grew. There’s also a persimmon tree, muscadine vine, pomegranate tree, blueberry bush and a jujube, a tree that’s native to China.
Landscaping company Green World planted and maintains the topiaries, but the private garden’s immaculate condition is thanks to Chun himself. “Every morning, he weeds,” Sunny said. “If he sees one weed, he pulls it.”
Roots of the garden: People use the topiary garden for weddings and other special events, and Chun doesn’t charge a rental fee, even when I challenged, “That’s not the American way; we monetize everything.”
That’s not how he was raised, he said. His father’s motto was, “Live for others.”
As the Chuns led me through their art- and book-filled office, Chun stopped to show me his tie, which cost $2.50 at Goodwill, he said. His shoes were also second-hand. His frugality also goes back to his father, who taught his son: “Minimize what you spend on yourself so you can give more to others.”
In addition to being an accomplished artist (the late U.S. Sen. Sam Ervin’s wife commissioned him to paint the legendary Watergate Committee chairman’s portrait), Chun was raised by his professor father to be a voracious reader.
The Asian Herald Library, founded in 1985, has grown to house over 150,000 books, written in Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Korean and English. It’s the largest private Asian library in the country, Chun said, and is more than a source of knowledge. It’s a hub for Charlotte’s Asian community.
The busy, maximalist interior of the Chuns’ library and accounting office — chock-full of art and photos of family travels — stands in stark contrast to their streamlined garden.
A city escape: The Chuns’ urban green space is a wonder — and not just for the calm it instills. It’s a wonder that it’s hiding in plain sight. It’s a wonder there’s no fence to protect it; a wonder there’s no admission fee.
The sanctuary is a no-strings-attached gift from a hard-working, generous immigrant couple to their adopted hometown.
The next time I leave the Metropolitan parking deck in a huff, I’m heading straight for the Chuns’ garden. It’s a natural elixir.
Page Leggett is a Charlotte-based freelance writer. Reach her at epageleggett@gmail.com.
➡️ Want to visit? Look for Chun’s CPA office at 1339 Baxter St. in Midtown. You’ll know it by the big clock atop the three-story King’s Tower building. The garden is just behind the office and across from Myers Tabernacle AME Zion Church in historic Cherry.
Today’s Charlotte Ledger is sponsored by Dye Culik, a corporate and litigation law firm based in Charlotte, NC representing businesses and franchises in NC, SC, MA and MI.
This week in Charlotte: Transit tax referendum moves to public hearing; Federal investigators look into deadly I-485 crash; State ABC shuts down east Charlotte bar; Social districts fizzle out
On Saturdays, The Ledger sifts through the local news of the week and links to the top articles — even if they appeared somewhere else. We’ll help you get caught up. That’s what Saturdays are for.
Education
CMS federal grant funding released: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools will receive $12.5M in federal grant funding after the U.S. Department of Education approved the release of nearly $8B nationwide, according to a statement from CMS.
UNC Chapel Hill makes cuts amid funding squeeze: (Charlotte Observer, subscriber-only) University leaders proposed $70M in cuts, about 2% of its operating budget, with $29.5M targeted for this fiscal year.
UNC applicants to be notified before Christmas: UNC Chapel Hill will notify North Carolina residents who apply by the Oct. 15 early action deadline by Dec. 20 — more than a month earlier than in previous years, according to an announcement from the university last week.
Politics
Cooper, Whatley announce bids for U.S. Senate: Former Gov. Roy Cooper officially entered North Carolina’s 2026 Senate race Monday, and Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley also officially launched his campaign this week for the same seat. (Charlotte Observer, subscriber-only)
Transit tax referendum moves to public hearing: (WFAE) Mecklenburg County commissioners voted to advance a 1% sales tax referendum, approving the wording that will appear on November’s ballot.
Vetoes blocked: (WSOC-TV, NC Newsline) N.C. House Republicans overturned eight of Democratic Gov. Josh Stein’s vetoes with the help of two Charlotte Democrats. The new laws deal with carbon emissions, firearms, transgender rights and the state auditor’s powers.
Local news
Update on I-77 toll lane project: (Ledger🔒) Construction is expected to start in 2030 on the $3.2B I-77 South Express Lanes project that will add toll lanes, rebuild interchanges and improve safety along 11 miles from the South Carolina line to uptown.
NTSB to investigate deadly I-485 crash: (Charlotte Observer) Federal investigators were in Charlotte this week to examine the July 26 crash on I-485 that killed six people.
State ABC shuts down east Charlotte bar: (Ledger) The North Carolina ABC Commission suspended Mi Cabana’s alcohol permits after years of illegal after-hours sales and a deadly shooting outside the Eastway Drive bar.
24 Hours of Booty raises $1.69M: The 24th annual 24 Hours of Booty event, hosted by the 24 Foundation, drew 1,100 participants who cycled, walked and ran through Myers Park July 25-26.
Business
U.S. Bank launches small‑business resource hub: U.S. Bank has launched a free online resource for small businesses, called U.S. Bank Business Resources Central, that offers courses on finance, business continuity planning and more.
Chase hits branch milestone in SouthPark: (Charlotte Business Journal, subscriber-only) JPMorgan Chase marked a major milestone Thursday by opening its 1,000th new U.S. branch at 6540 Fairview Road in SouthPark.
Sports
2027 Duke’s Mayo bowl teams announced: (Axios Charlotte) Notre Dame will play Wake Forest at Bank of America Stadium in one of two Duke’s Mayo Classic games in 2027.
New Panthers documentary: The Charlotte Observer’s new hour-long documentary celebrating the Carolina Panthers’ 2015 season, called “SUPER MEN,” is now available to stream on YouTube.
From the Ledger family of newsletters
Monday
A Christian social club rises in South End. Plus: State ABC shuts down east Charlotte bar; Local nonprofit offers programming for those with Down syndrome
Wednesday (🔒)
Social districts slow down in Charlotte. Plus: Update on I-77 toll lane project; New podcast on origins of drum & bugle corps Carolina Crown; Bojangles rolls out Spanish ordering systems
Friday (🔒)
Meet North Carolina’s most underrated songwriter. Plus: Isabella Santos Foundation shakes up fundraising strategy with 'Carolina Charm'
Toppman on the Arts
The duality of nature explored through puppetry: Ledger arts critic Lawrence Toppman reviews “Life of Pi,” which he says blends visual wonder with emotional depth to deliver a darkly beautiful tale of survival, faith and the wild instincts within us all. The show runs through Aug. 3 at Belk Theater.
Fútbol Friday
Another Leagues Cup dud for Charlotte FC: Charlotte FC’s five-game MLS unbeaten streak came to a crashing halt as a chippy 4-1 home loss to FC Juárez in the Leagues Cup left the team frustrated, shorthanded and facing long odds to advance.
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